Cheteshwar Pujara to play for Sussex in County Championship and One-Day competition

After his underwhelming performances in the last 12 months, the selectors were left with no choice but to drop Cheteshwar Pujara along with his senior colleagues Ajinkya Rahane, Ishant Sharma, and Wriddhiman Saha from the ongoing Test series against Sri Lanka. The exclusion from the national team meant that Pujara had to toil hard in the Ranji Trophy 2021/22 season to be in the scheme of things of India’s red-ball setup going forward.

Now, it has been learned that Pujara has made himself entirely available to play county cricket after going unsold at the IPL 2022 mega auction last month. He was a part of the victorious CSK squad in the 2021 season after which he was released and no franchise showed any interest in him during the two-day event in Bengaluru.

Cheteshwar Pujara replaces Travis Head

Cheteshwar Pujara has replaced Travis Head in the Sussex side. The Australian requested the County to release him from the contract following his national commitments in the near future. Meanwhile, Pujara will reach Sussex in time for the first County game and will be available until the end of the One-Day tournament. He was delighted to join Sussex for the upcoming season and is looking forward to spending his time with the County team.

We are delighted to announce the signings of Cheteshwar Pujara and Josh Philippe for the upcoming season. 🤝 🙌

Full details. 📰 ⬇ #GOSBTS

— Sussex Cricket (@SussexCCC) March 10, 2022

“I am excited and honoured to be a part of the historic Sussex County Cricket Club for the upcoming season. I do look forward to joining up with the Sussex family soon and be a part of its rich cricketing history. Over the years I have always enjoyed my time in the UK playing county cricket, so eagerly looking forward to the new stint and hope to contribute to the club’s success,” he said according to Sussex official website.

Pujara, meanwhile, also took to his Twitter handle to express his excitement and is looking forward to contribute to team’s success. “Excited to join the Sussex family and looking forward to contributing to the Club’s success this county season,” he tweeted.

Excited to join the Sussex family, and looking forward to contributing to the Club's success this county season 👍 https://t.co/FV5X67O2OW

— cheteshwar pujara (@cheteshwar1) March 10, 2022